Tall, Dark, and Broody
by VanyaElda
Summary: Lindsey gets curious and sends his subordinate Jesse to check for files on a new big guy in town Angel that is impeding his client’s social agenda. One shot.


I had been told on numerous occasions that I would be gleaned information on a need-to-know basis. There could be consequences if I pried too deep and managed to undermine a case. My highly esteemed boss had told me that to keep ahead in this rat race of lawyers at Wolfram and Hart I needed to open and shut my cases, not create new ones that could hurt the company.

Ah, the hell with what Holland thought. I was never one to keep my nose out of places it didn't belong. I lamely tossed my hand at the intercom on my desk and pressed a small button on the corner.

"Jesse?"

"Yes, sir?" was the response a split-second later.

"I need you to check if we have a file on a man named 'Angel'." I paused for a moment. Angel…what? Did the guy have a last name? My brow crinkled in interest. "With and without a surname just to be certain. Let me know as soon as you find anything."

"Right away, sir."

My hand dropped from the intercom and my fingers tapped lightly on the surface of the desk. Staring at the padded chair across from me, I found myself lost in my own thoughts. Russell Winters was a very lucrative client. He was a vampire, yes, but that was nothing new to me. Vampires were some of the more tame demons that we dealt with at Wolfram and Hart. We would turn a blind eye to any crime as long as the client could pay. Of course, we went to great measures to cover our collective asses afterward, but in the long run it was very profitable business.

Angel was not the first vigilante we had dealt with either, but I had the feeling that his saving the blonde from Winters' flunkies would not be the last this place saw of him. Actually, Winters had been very firm in his phone call that we were to pin the blonde's upcoming death on the man. He really sounded like he wanted this guy out of the picture. This had, of course, made me curious. It was not everyday that you found someone that a vampire, of all creatures, was afraid of.

"He must bleed holy water," I mumbled sarcastically to the chair.

The peal of a phone broke my thoughts. It was an interdepartmental call. I cleared my throat and snatched up the receiver on the second ring. "McDonald," I said as I pulled a legal pad and pen toward myself.

"I've found some names for you, sir" replied Jesse's voice.

"Wonderful." I cracked a small smile and uncapped my pen. I liked having Jesse under me. He was a fast kid, eager to please. "Hit me."

"Actually, sir, he says there are over one hundred and twenty different files for the name 'Angel' with and without surname."

Well, Winters had referred to the guy without using a last name. If 'Angel' even was his first name. I frowned in disappointment. "How many without?"

There was a pause as the question was relayed. "Three," Jesse answered slowly, "but he says that two of them are deceased."

My spirits lifted with a slight hope that this wasn't going to be that hard after all. "And the living?"

Another pause. "Imprisoned. Holding dimension, number…87458D."

A D-class holding dimension? No, definitely not him. Damn.

I pressed two fingers to my temple and massaged the skin there. I was not looking forward to listening to over one hundred names of shit heads that I didn't care about. Sometimes, this place was just too damn thorough.

"Sir," Jesse piped in, he sounded almost optimistic. "One of the deceased is actually a vampire, but his last known whereabouts were Sunnydale."

Now that was something. My face lit up and I swiveled my chair like an antsy kid at the doctor. Damned cryptic Files and Records. Sometimes I think they held back information like that to make us sweat for their own amusement. Tapping the pen against the pad of paper before me, I bit my bottom lip in consideration. "Can he give us anything else about this vampire to go on?"

I listened to Jesse relay the question. "This is Files and Records, sir; they know all matters of Angel's life." His reply was almost mocking and equaled my own agitation.

My eyes rolled up toward the ceiling in annoyance. "He's tall, dark, and broody. He also likes spoiling my client's meals."

I could just barely make out the receptionist rattling off Angel's most recent physical description. "It's him," Jesse announced finally. "He's been dusting other vampires for quite some time now."

"Well, isn't that interesting," I mused and a lopsided smirk was back on my face. This 'Angel' was a vampire. Since when did vamps care who the rest of their species killed? "Thanks, Jesse. Just bring me the case file."

There was a pause. I could hear the receptionist in the background but I couldn't make out what he was saying. "Sir," Jesse started slowly, "he has his own section."

My brows rose in surprise. "Really. Well, find yourself another couple of hands and bring the file boxes up here."

"It's thirty-four cabinets, sir," Jesse nearly interrupted.

I sat up stick straight as my spine went rigid as a board. Clearly I had not heard him correctly. "What?"

"Angel. He has thirty-four cabinets for himself alone."

Letting out a sigh, I settled back into my chair and raked a frustrated hand through my hair. Why did the firm care so much about one fanged meathead? I had to see this 'section' for myself. "Jesse, I'll be down in two shakes," I told him as I stood and dropped the pen back into a holder on my desk. "I'd rather see to believe on this one."

"Understandable, sir."

"That it is," I confirmed with another small sigh. I never went to Files and Records anymore. Now that I had a handful of paralegals under me, I let them do a lot of the grunt work. That receptionist down there was a real piece of work. I was not looking forward to seeing him again. It was usually a chore to get anything significant out of him. In fact, I think the bastard enjoyed being vague. Knowledge of the case files was the only bit of power he had on the lawyer types here and I had to admit, most of us weren't too nice.

"Do me a favor would you, Jesse?" As I spoke, I bent to pull open a tall drawer on my desk and set my briefcase down inside before locking the drawer. "Don't mention to the rest of the team that I'm doing my own research for once. I don't want y'all to think I've gone soft."

"Of course, Mr. McDonald."

"Thanks, Jesse. I'll see you at lunch."

Setting the receiver back to the desk, I grabbed my suit jacket and pulled it on. While I straightened the jacket and my tie, I suddenly chuckled. The short laugh was filled with both humor and disbelief. "Vampire," I mumbled as I shook my head. I sighed and headed out the double doors of my fifth floor office. "Don't make 'em like they used to."


End file.
